Where do I begin?

About 2 weeks ago, I exchanged my old digital cable box for a DVR box. They gave me the DCT3416-I. I took it home, and I was getting every single premium channel. I couldn't get OnDemand, or any local channels. I wanted to DVR things that night that were on local stations, so I called up and complained. The women claimed she was going to send a signal thru, and it would take nearly an hour. OK. Over an hour went by, I returned to the TV to find "This channel should be available shortly". I called up, and apparently there was some issue with sending the signal, and she told me I would have to get someone to come out to my house to fix it. For a week, I went without cable. No biggie, but I had hopes that I would soon enough.

This past Friday, 2 guys came out. They spent over 2 hours at my house. They climbed up about 4 poles around my neighborhood and eventually "fixed" the problem.

Before I went to work that night, I added a few things to my DVR.

I came home, and went to watch them. EVERY thing I recorded has drop outs UP THE ASS. The sound goes out, the picture freezes. This happens every few minutes. Sometimes it's long, sometimes it's short...but it's annoying as hell and either way and it's unwatchable for me. Even if I rewind it, the sound/skipping picture isn't there...it wasn't recorded. It was recorded WITH the skipping, apparently. I do have this issue while watching regular TV, but it's not nearly as bad as when i'm watching recorded stuff.

The box is a Motorola DCT3416-I.

Anyone know anything about this and/or what I should do about it? What the hell is the point of having a DVR with this annoying ****? I'd rather not have one at all. Is it supposed to be like this? What can I do?

Thanks in advance.

I have had mine for about 3 weeks now. I too have noticed drop-outs, occatoin freezes (where you hit every button known to man and 5 minutes later it starts catching up on all the commands), and times where MYDVR has 2 or 3 listings for teh same recording and it says it had a problem.

I've been traveling so I have not been able to call Comcast yet, but will soon.

I have a new 3416. It took a good long time for the guide data to populate (I got it Monday morning, and it just now has a full guide, as far as I can tell), but other than that it seems to be working fine. It's recording what we want, good audio and video.

I'd much rather than a DVR than not. That's just me, though. :)

I made an account to answer your question... thats how much i felt i needed to answer :)

OK, On my old cable box I was getting drop outs and the likes on the digital channels, had comcast come out and they told me that the line split to many times before the box so it was having trouble getting a good signal, the tech ran two dedicated cable lines (one for the box, one for the modem) and the problem went away. Now given that the DVR box processes almost twice the information, you may have the same problem, but with the non-DVR box, it didn't affect it because it used less information. So I would either call comcast and have them run a dedicated line in for the cable (They do it cheap but are not very clean about it), or call some company that will run cable and have them do it, this will cost more, but you can have them do it in a clean and seamless fashion. Comcast just drilled two holes in my wall and ran cable, no jacks... ugly but it works well.

As for the long load time on the guide and when changing channels, same thing, not only are you streaming the content, but information about picture format for HD, captions in a variety of languages, and writing info to the hard drive rather than either ram of flash.

The other thing to keep in mind is that, at least in SE Michigan, the dual tuner DVR boxes have only been out for a month, there still newish so there is going to be problems with them like any newer tech.

I got my box yesterday, hooked it up and immediately called comcast to complain, the tech explained it all to me and I am willing to live with the draw backs in exchange for Digital audio (Desperate Housewives in 5.1 :D ), DVR, and HD content.

I've had this same box since Friday and have had a few issues already.

The problems started where I would try to swap channels and it would not swap. It would then lock up and I would have to turn it off and back on.

I would then try to access the DVR - I could see everything, but when I went to play something it just locked up. Again, I could turn it off and on and things would work again (although with the same two problems above).

I called them up and they had me pull the power cord, wait for at least 30 seconds, plug it back in, and start it up again. This fixed all the problems (it takes about 1 minute for it to do a few things before it was good to go - like adjusting the clock...). They said I should not have to do this often and if I did it was a problem with the box.

This resets all the guide information. They told me in the first 45 minutes it should update the first 3 hours of guide content, and then over the next 24 hours it should finish the rest.

They also told me they know people are having issues with the remote controls and might be doing a re-call on them...

Is anyone else in the North of Boston area? I've had this 3416 for a couple of weeks now, and it seems to have To Be Announced listed in the program guide more often than my old 3412 did. Program Guide data seems to "come and go" over time, even though I have the 3416 on a UPS. For example, 11/10 8PM I have Vanished set for a series recording, but it is now showing "To Be Announced" as the program. It shows it as a series recording, so it clearly knew it was Vanished at some point, but it seems to have lost that data.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I've had this 3416 for a couple of weeks now, and it seems to have To Be Announced listed in the program guide...

I'm in Indiana and have found when I unplug it, it takes hours to fill up the program guide.

Last night, mine somehow froze the image (of a local politician in a campaign ad) when I turned it off after the news. When I turned it back on an hour later, every digital channel had this image on it although the audio was ok. The analog channels were just garbage. Turning it on and off didn't help.

Today at work, someone suggested unplugging the unit and when I did, it came back up and everything was ok (except the program guide was empty.) Is having to kill the power completely a common occurrence? I've only had digital cable and the DVR about 3 weeks.

I've never had it freeze up like that.

And I never kill the power -- it's on a UPS specifically to protect the Program Guide information, yet it does seem that some of that information doesn't make it into the guide until a few days prior.

Bummer. I thought someone might have had a way to resolve it, short of playing roulette.

Running the 3416 on this end. Comcast in Concord, NH. and so far so good. Just trying to get it to play with GBPVR now.

You need to use two way spliters

You need to use two way splitersWhat do you mean?

These boxes, being new, are being constantly updated. Motorola is releasing new firmware for the units continually. I've had my box for awhile now and after my current firmware push it has worked flawlessly. I do have a dedicated line running off the main feed line directly to my residence for my DVR and another for my HSI. The boxes(and the quality and services they provide) require A LOT of bandwidth, so keep that in mind. If you have multiple splitters/outlets and long cable runs this can be the source of your issues regarding freezing and/or slow response to keyed input.

I just got a dct3416i installed this week. I am using the hdmi port to a JVC RX-702B A/V Receiver and then out to the TV. It is working okay so far. The JVC has 2 hdmi inputs, but only one would work (DVD/DVR). The screen turns green for a few seconds when changing channels and it does not do that when connect directly from the motorola box to the TV.


I have firmware version 16.20 from comcast. Sometimes I get the copy protection screen and have turn the tv and receiver off and on again until it just starts to work.

That is all I have so far.

Hi -

I'm seeing same with DCT3416-I and my new Denon A/V receiver, it only works when connected directly to plasma screen. HDMI pass-through via the Denon A/V receiver yields a brief warning about HDCP compatibility, then the green screen.

Based on a blog I found and Denon website (I'm new, can't post the URLs), it appears:


There is a known issue with HDCP protocol compatibility with Motorola HD set tops (in support of this; my HDCP-compliant DVD player has no problems with HDMI passthrough via the Denon)
Motorola fixed this in version 12.25 of the firmware that many of their HD set tops use in June 2006
Comcast, who provides my HD service and set top, is mum on both problem and fix
I can't seem to find firmware or DIY steps on web


If anyone in thread has experience with and access to 12.35 firmware upgrade, that would be forward progress.

From the Denon product website:

Why won't the set top box pass video signal through my receiver with an HDMI connection?

A set top receiver connected to an A/V receiver via HDMI may have trouble passing video signals through the A/V receiver even though a direct connection to the display seems to work fine. This has to do with the HDMI HDCP protocol being sent and received and the authentication process. This is not a fault of the receiver. Recently set top box manufacturers have become aware of this issue. It has been found that the U-code information appears to be the problem which is part of Annex A of the repeater conformity specifications of the HDMI protocol. Some set top receiver manufacturers have already implemented firmware changes to their units while others are in the process of updating their units. If a set top receiver being used is having problems passing HDMI video signal through an A/V receiver, contact the manufacturer of the set top receiver to see if an update is available.

Can you get comcast firmware 16.20 on your box? That is what I have on mine.
I have some problems the green/blue hdcp screen, but it I turn my tv and receiver off and back on (sometimes 2 or 3 times) it will finally allow the pass thru to work.

If comcast thinks this issue is fixed, then they should think again...

I'm in Indiana and have found when I unplug it, it takes hours to fill up the program guide.

Last night, mine somehow froze the image (of a local politician in a campaign ad) when I turned it off after the news. When I turned it back on an hour later, every digital channel had this image on it although the audio was ok. The analog channels were just garbage. Turning it on and off didn't help.

Today at work, someone suggested unplugging the unit and when I did, it came back up and everything was ok (except the program guide was empty.) Is having to kill the power completely a common occurrence? I've only had digital cable and the DVR about 3 weeks.I have two 3416s and I have to cold boot them about once a night on the average - fixes all sorts of problems I've had with these boxes. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

I'm trying to figure how to just to post a question,anyway my question is I used to have a dct 6412 from comast which was replaced with a dct 3416 and have had a big drop off in picture quality both in hi def and regular digital.
I have a sony 42 plazma which was great till now. I'm getting motion shadows in HD and general focus problems.
The old 6412 had a dvi connection to an hdmi , the 3416 is hdmi so I bought an adapter for the dvi end, is this effecting my signal?
Thanks

Sounds like bad connections. PQ with my 3416 is just as excellent as it was with my 3412 before it, and my 6412 before that.

I'm a Comcast NJ subscriber and work in broadcasting (AM FM TV). We switched to Comcast digital in 2005 and upgraded to DVR in October 2006. Our prior Mot box was swapped for the Mot DCT3416-I, which is HDMI. No problems at all until yesterday. The box flashes briefly and about every 8 seconds 'dUl'. Posters in this form hint that 'dUl' may be the 'dVI'. In any event, here's what happens now:

Power 'on' the 3416
HD pic appears on the HD LCD TV for about 3 seconds, then screen turns green, audio continues.
If the program source is HD, the green screen is 16:9 and fills the screen
If the program source is DD or not 16:9, the green screen is sized appropriately.

We know it's not an HD TV problem. The HDMI input-1 cable works just dandy if it's moved to our HDMI DVD player.

Comcast does not admit to a firmware or software 'push'.

Comcast claims not to have any info on this 'dUl' diagnostic.

I can't find any info on the Motorola web site either.

Anyone else experience this? Any insight?

Problem: No audio via HDMI mode to a HP PL4260N. Does anyone know the PCM bit stream rate for the DCT3416I?

I have the same problem with my brand new DVR from comcast. Plug in the HDMI cable and choose the input on my 50" panny plasma and get video for a couple of secs then nothing. If you go into the setup menu and dink with the HDMI seting and change them to Y Y Y then you get a green screen after a couple of secs. Can anybody fix this? I wont even call comcast on this and suffer through the crap that they put you through so thats out unlees someone knows something spacific. everthing I read keeps coming back to this handshake problem. Is there any way to fool this handshake? Thanks all. New Here I like what I see so far Thanks Again

PS anywhere to find an operation manual?

This web site has a lot of information about this box. Not sure your exact problem, but see if this site helps you.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Category:How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

My 3416 is connected to my Samsung DLP via HDMI. Sometimes when I turn everything on I get a green screen. If I physcially unplug the HDMI from the box and re-plug I get a signal and it works fine. Comcast thinks its a bad HDMI cable.

This started to happen after that software update that added Comcast Central.

Just swapped out my old comcast box for a DTC-3416. It seems to work okay except for the constant fan noise. Does the fan ever shut off? The only way to stop the fan from running is to unplug the box. Talked to comcast and they said this is normal.

I have a DCT3416 and don't hear my fan at all, ever.

What model remote matches the DCT 3416??? Charter gave me one yesterday that doesn't match and the installer told me they are waiting for the original ones to arrive.

I just got the DCT 3416 yesterday. Should I program the "All On/OFF" botton on the remote to turn the DVR off every time I turn the TV off, or do I just leave it on all the time. I'm getting confliting advice on this.

Surf40

Leave it on all the time.

Sounds like bad connections. PQ with my 3416 is just as excellent as it was with my 3412 before it, and my 6412 before that.

My Dad has the 3412-I and I'm wondering what the difference is between it and the 3416-I ?

Also, does anyone knows how to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV? The cable box sends only 720p no matter which channel its on. HD, SD, it doesn't matter. when I press the info button on the TVs remote it always says the video resolution is @1280 x 720. I would like to let the TV do both the scaling and the deinterlacing but I can't figure out how to configure the 3412-I to allow the original video signal to be passed onto the TV.

Thank you for any help you guys can offer.

My Dad has the 3412-I and I'm wondering what the difference is between it and the 3416-I ?40 GB.

Also, does anyone knows how to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV?That is not a feature of that DVR.

That is not a feature of that DVR.
It's constantly set to 720p? It can't be changed? If thats true then that really sucks. Why would anyone want a HD cabelbox/DVR that ONLY outputs 720p ?

Does the 3416-I allow you to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV?

The cable box sends only 720p no matter which channel its on. HD, SD, it doesn't matter. when I press the info button on the TVs remote it always says the video resolution is @1280 x 720.
Is it possible that when you press the TV's info button, the TV is simply reporting its native resolution (assuming you have a 720p/1080i TV)? What does the TV manual say with regard to this particular remote button press - i.e., does the manual say that pressing the TV remote's info button is supposed to tell you something about what the cable box is doing? :confused:

It's constantly set to 720p? It can't be changed?You asked, "how to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV." As I said, there is no way to set the cable box up to do that. You have to change the resolution the box sends out manually, each time you want it to change. To do so, you need to turn the unit off and make the change in the service menu. Here are the instructions: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

Does the 3416-I allow you to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV?That is not a feature of the Motorola DVRs.

You asked, "how to set the cable box up so that it sends all resolutions to the TV." As I said, there is no way to set the cable box up to do that. You have to change the resolution the box sends out manually, each time you want it to change. To do so, you need to turn the unit off and make the change in the service menu. Here are the instructions: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

Thanks for the very informative link. I'm planning on doing the setup the next time I'm over my Dads house and I'm certain that I should be able to improve the PQ by setting it to output 1080i over HDMI.

I also read from that link that "The 34xx has no analog tuner". Would this be a reason why analog and regular SD channels look so bad when viewing them on my Dad's Sammie LN-S4041D?

I also read that 4:3 OVERRIDE tells the DVR how to output SD programming. I'm assuming his must be set to STRETCH where the SD is converted to the HDMI/YPbPR OUTPUT format and stretched horizontally for a 16:9 screen. This would explain why no matter what channel his TV is on it always says 1280 x 720. I'm wondering though if I should turn that to OFF because it says some displays can do a better job of converting SD material. Or perhaps I should set it to 480i?

I also read from that link that "The 34xx has no analog tuner". Would this be a reason why analog and regular SD channels look so bad when viewing them on my Dad's Sammie LN-S4041D? No. That's why SD looks so "different". In some cases, SD looks worse. In other cases, SD looks just as good or better. That's the case here in my home. SD via analog sucks, and is rather good via ADS (analog-digital simulcasting; i.e., digital). (That's probably because, via analog, the signal degrades all the way from the head-end to here, at the outer edge of town. By comparison, they had to do whatever was necessary to get the digital signal this far, stable enough to be seen at all, and digital is either all good or no good.)

The only thing about the SD (via analog or digital) on the HDTV is that the picture is between two and three times larger than on our other televisions, so the imperfections which are an inevitable part of every analog broadcast are magnified on the larger screen. You can more clearly see how bad SD has always been.

I also read that 4:3 OVERRIDE tells the DVR how to output SD programming. I'm assuming his must be set to STRETCH where the SD is converted to the HDMI/YPbPR OUTPUT format and stretched horizontally for a 16:9 screen. This would explain why no matter what channel his TV is on it always says 1280 x 720. I'm wondering though if I should turn that to OFF because it says some displays can do a better job of converting SD material. Or perhaps I should set it to 480i?STRETCH is bad, of course.

Regarding the 4:3 override, OFF is bad AFAIC because you lose Closed Captioning. (My wife is hearing impaired.) 480i is good. I think I have mine set to 480p.

Got the DCT3416 a week ago and was using with no issues (other than minor ones I see on this thread) using coax output and an older TV. Took the plunge and bought the Sony KDL-40V2500, hooked it up with the HDMI out from the DCT3416 directly to the set, with the digital optical audio output from the DCT3416 hooked into my Onkyo home theather receiver.

I get the COMCAST "This channel should be available shortly" message and the channel info at the bottom of the screen, but no TV picture. Also no audio through the receiver even with correct optical input selected (this was working fine before too). Have spent a few hours going through setup and diagnostics on both DCT3416 and TV -- and I am reasonable good at this stuff so I think I have got a real issue outside of setup. Sony support claims no compatibility issues with the DCT3416. Signal is amplified in the house. I am dreading a call to COMCAST to weed through this so hoping for some expert help here.

Thanks

STRETCH is bad, of course.

Regarding the 4:3 override, OFF is bad AFAIC because you lose Closed Captioning. (My wife is hearing impaired.) 480i is good. I think I have mine set to 480p.

Well I talked my Dad through accessing the User Settings menu on his Moto DCT 3412-I DVR over the phone. Everything was going well, had him change his HDMI/YPbPr OUTPUT to 1080i but when I had him change 4:3 override setting to 480i it caused him to loose everything (no picture). And then he said that he could no longer change the source on the TV to HDMI. (TV said that mode is not supported). wtf?

I had him turn the TV off and back on but still no HDMI signal. I had him switch the source on the TV to component (luckily I had setup his DVR with both HDMI and component sources connected to the TV prior to this). I asked him to then see if he could get back into the User Settings menu with the TV on component. He could so I had him set the 4:3 override to 480p and everything was fine again and he can use both HDMI and component. So I told him to leave it like that and next time I'm over his house I'll take a look.

Seems really strange though that setting the HDMI/YPbPr OUTPUT to 1080i and then setting the 4:3 override to 480i would cause such unstable conditions. Because 480i is the native resolution of the SD channels and I didn't want the Moto DVR upscaling the signal at all. I wanted to let his Sammie LN-S4041D do any signal scaling and deinterlacing. But for some reason the Moto 3412 w/Sammie did not seem to like this 480i setting in the 4:3 override. Any idea why?

To grimmjr with the DCT3416 issues. I can think of two things right off the bat:

1. Try power-cycling the cablebox. Turn it off and unplug it from the power source. Leave it unplugged for a few minutes. Plug it back in and turn it back on.

2. When you got your 3416 you should have got a phone number to call to have Comcast send a signal through to the box. If not, call Comcast to get this number or just have them send a signal through to see if this is all you need. ;)

Just swapped out my old comcast box for a DTC-3416. It seems to work okay except for the constant fan noise. Does the fan ever shut off? The only way to stop the fan from running is to unplug the box. Talked to comcast and they said this is normal.

I've never heard the fan. Sure it isn't a noisy disk drive? The 3416 is notorious for disk chatter.

Also, feel free to power the 3416 'off' when it's not in use. As long as AC power is available to the device, it still will record any programs that you've set up or that are in your series priority list.

Got the DCT3416 a week ago and was using with no issues (other than minor ones I see on this thread) using coax output and an older TV. Took the plunge and bought the Sony KDL-40V2500, hooked it up with the HDMI out from the DCT3416 directly to the set, with the digital optical audio output from the DCT3416 hooked into my Onkyo home theather receiver.

I get the COMCAST "This channel should be available shortly" message and the channel info at the bottom of the screen, but no TV picture. Also no audio through the receiver even with correct optical input selected (this was working fine before too). Have spent a few hours going through setup and diagnostics on both DCT3416 and TV -- and I am reasonable good at this stuff so I think I have got a real issue outside of setup. Sony support claims no compatibility issues with the DCT3416. Signal is amplified in the house. I am dreading a call to COMCAST to weed through this so hoping for some expert help here.

Thanks


Just curious. The 3416 is interactive; it transmits and receives and to transmit back to the cable servers any splitter/combiners would have to be two-way (with negligible insertion loss). Unless the amplifier is bi-directional and can pass the digital signals, that also can cause problems. Best to ensure that the 3416 has access to the main cable feed, perhaps through only one two-way splitter. An easy way to ID problems caused by splitters/amps is to temporarily run RG-59 or RG-6 directly from your cable demarc to the 3416.

Since the CableTV Act was adopted in 1994 and wiring past the cable demarc was deregulated, I've installed whole-house amplifiers that feed 8-way splitters to distribute cable to every room. When the 3416 was installed, I broke off a split from the main demarc just for the 3416; otherwise, no way would it be able to interact with Comcast's servers or handle the digital channels. I'll also be SOL when Comcast removes HBO from analog service soon. But that's why we have DVR.

The issue that's cropped up on mine happened again today. It said the disc was 100% full when there was only about 6 hours on it. I deleted one-one hour program, and it said 12% full. I don't feel that I can count on it recording when I'm not here to watch over it...which kind of limits its usefulness. I just re-booted it so I guess I'll see what happens.

I've had my 3416-I about 6 weeks. The first couple weeks it ran fine, then I started having issues with On demand menus taking forever to load or just not loading at all, at first, I thought It was just issues with the menus but our other non dvr cable box works just fine. So just a few days ago over the weekend the 3416 box "crashed" for lack of a better word, when it rebooted......about 5 min. later.....it wouldn't read the dvr for at least an hour. After that neither the guide or the on demand worked for about a day and a half. We had do a manual input for recording While I was having issues I called a Comcast tech on Saturday afternoon, she couldnt get a signal from the box. It works today,for now. How do I update the firmware and where do I find what version mine is...I looked on the diagnostics page and the GIOS reads:12.35 . I assume thats the firmware version

Just curious. The 3416 is interactive; it transmits and receives and to transmit back to the cable servers any splitter/combiners would have to be two-way (with negligible insertion loss). Unless the amplifier is bi-directional and can pass the digital signals, that also can cause problems. Best to ensure that the 3416 has access to the main cable feed, perhaps through only one two-way splitter. An easy way to ID problems caused by splitters/amps is to temporarily run RG-59 or RG-6 directly from your cable demarc to the 3416.

Since the CableTV Act was adopted in 1994 and wiring past the cable demarc was deregulated, I've installed whole-house amplifiers that feed 8-way splitters to distribute cable to every room. When the 3416 was installed, I broke off a split from the main demarc just for the 3416; otherwise, no way would it be able to interact with Comcast's servers or handle the digital channels. I'll also be SOL when Comcast removes HBO from analog service soon. But that's why we have DVR.

I have the 3416 as well as a cable modem. Both need to talk back to the cable company. When I installed a 3 way splitter to directly connect these two devices and then amplified the third leg to a 5 way splitter for the rest of my house, the signal was weak at the modem and 3416 and I had a lot of ghosting on the other TV's. So I purchase a bi-directional amplifier (my original Amp was not bi-directional) and connected it up to the main cable coming in followed by an 8 way splitter. This improved the signal to the 3416 and cable modem and solved all of the signal issues on my other TV's. I am very happy with my cable now. For reference, the amplifier I used is a Motorola Signal Booster Broadband Drop Amp. It was about $50 if I recall correctly. Got it at a local electronics store (Best Buy I think).

Hello,
Perhaps someone can help me here.

I swapped my DCT 6412 II this past weekend for a DCT 3416 I. I did it for the extra HDD space and because my old box was VERY buggy. (I have noticed a big difference in storage capability between the 120GB HDD and the 160GB HDD, BTW.) I am using an HDMI to DVI cable into my Panasonic PHD8UK.

Here's my problem... Every time I turn on my equipment, the DVR and the Plasma do not sync (i.e. the digital handshake problem) and the screen is white noise. I can fix this by turning the DVR off then on again, or if that is not an option (the DVR is recording) by unplugging the hdmi cable from the DVR and plugging it back in. Since this is super annoying to me (and the wife does not like it either), my question is this...

If I buy an HDMI board for my plasma and install it where the DVI board was, then use an HDMI to HDMI cable, will this problem be fixed? I am much too impatient to wait for a firmware fix to come along, and the HDMI board can be bought fairly cheap ~$120. I have firmware 16.20 right now in Boston.
Thanks,
Jakes

Howdy,

I've got the comcast motorola DCT3416. Anyone know how to retreive the messages when the little red (msgs) light is lit up on the front panel? Or what it is for? I'ts been on for a couple days now and I'm just curious.

I've searched the web and downloaded a user guide for this model but it just says it lights up when the DVR has received messages for me to read. It does not say how to retreive the messages, unless I'm going blind and don't see it in the manual. Thank you.

Howdy,

I've got the comcast motorola DCT3416. Anyone know how to retreive the messages when the little red (msgs) light is lit up on the front panel? Or what it is for? I'ts been on for a couple days now and I'm just curious.

I've searched the web and downloaded a user guide for this model but it just says it lights up when the DVR has received messages for me to read. It does not say how to retreive the messages, unless I'm going blind and don't see it in the manual. Thank you.


Nevermind, disregard the message above. I found it.

For anyone else looking, using the remote, its under "Menu", then "Settings", then "Messages from Comcast".

Nevermind, disregard the message above. I found it.

For anyone else looking, using the remote, its under "Menu", then "Settings", then "Messages from Comcast".

That message light drives me crazy. I tried using the "Disable Messages" feature on my DVR, but Comcast has conveniently disabled that feature. Their message are that important I guess. It is frustrating when you have multiple STB's with multiple messages that constantly need to be deleted in order to make that red light go away!

I got this unit on Friday and it worked fine for about 6 hours. Now I can't get channels 19-98. If I disconnect it from my plasma tv and put the digital box on the tv from another tv, it works fine.

What is wrong with this unit. Grrr, I wish I had kept my old digital box because my favorite channels aren't available on this tv now. I hate to take the digital box from someone tv.

Can anyone help. I don't want to hear Comcast lies and excuses. All they want is for someone to come out and check it out. It's obvious it doesn't work if the regular digital box work on my 42" plasma HD tv. :mad:

It sounds like your box is bad and you need to have it swapped out for another.

I was wondering if you could help me. I've looked on the forums, but nothing seems specific to this problem.

Recently got two DCT3416 converters set up through component cables. I was used to having my TV volume set about half way, then adjust the volume through the converter. I never had an issue.

Then I purchased an HDMI cable and connected it to one of my LG tvs. Now, when I turn volume up or down, converter's 'volume bar' graphic shows that it is ramping up, but has no affect on the output of the volume. I tested this on both boxes.

Any idea on what would cause this?

Same problem here. I use the TV remote to control the volume.

I did a test today on the DCT3416 to see if there was any difference in PQ between component wires and hdmi... No real difference between the two except maybe darker blacks thru hdmi. Sound quality was MUCH better and louder using hdmi... While doing this test on my Awesome 47pf9441d i noticed the annoying green screen that people have been talking about, especially when changing between hd and sd channels (It wasn,t happening before the test). I was able to get rid of it by switching the 4:3 override on the DCT3416 to off.. All is good now except i still can't figure out CC, when i enable it thru the cable box it shows on the tv even when i select CC off from the tv menu. It would be alot esier if i could control it from my tv instead of having mess with the settings of a powered down cable box.

I just got the DCT3416 and cable installed last week. I'm curious to know, what type of data transmission is the ethernet port used for? Does anybody know?

Brandon

It's for future enhancement, AFAIK.

Sigh... I just added a Comcast DVR to my setup. Now when I turn on or off Parental Locks the audio drops out and wont return (even if I change channels) unless I turn off and on again either the DVR, VP50 or receiver. Using HDMI. Any thoughts? Also I cant change to the SD channels via remote, even though they are there if I slow scroll to them. Bah.

Update after speaking with tech: With the DVR if I wanted to select say channel 12 I need to input 012 into the remote. Audio drop out is supposedly a problem they are aware of.

You can address the 12/012 issue via the Auto-Tune setting.

I did a test today on the DCT3416 to see if there was any difference in PQ between component wires and hdmi... No real difference between the two except maybe darker blacks thru hdmi. Sound quality was MUCH better and louder using hdmi... While doing this test on my Awesome 47pf9441d i noticed the annoying green screen that people have been talking about, especially when changing between hd and sd channels (It wasn,t happening before the test). I was able to get rid of it by switching the 4:3 override on the DCT3416 to off.. All is good now except i still can't figure out CC, when i enable it thru the cable box it shows on the tv even when i select CC off from the tv menu. It would be alot esier if i could control it from my tv instead of having mess with the settings of a powered down cable box.

How do you switch the 4:3 override to OFF on the DCT3416? I got the green screen too on my SONY KDL-46XBR2
Thanks.

To get into the settings menu you have to first turn off the DVR by pressing power. When it is off (usually the picture is still visible but the audio stream drops out...at least for me) then press the "menu" button and a service menu will pop up giving you some options. Among them is the 4:3 override option, but I believe it is only accessible if you have the 16x9 HD resolution set to 1080i or 720p.

Brandon

Does the DCT 3416 I support picture-in-picture? I see the connections in back, but how do I do it?

Thanks

Anyone know how to do it?

I just got this new box two days ago.
At first I had the HDMI cable running from the cable box to my 42" panny and then running an Optical Cable from the back of the Panny to my Yamaha Receiver.

With this configuration the sound was working great.
I then changed it to have the Optical Cable run from the Cable box itself to the Receiver, with that setup the audio is not in sync with the picture. There seems to be a .5 second or so delay.
I set it back to the original setup I had to keep the sound in sync.

Has anyone else had this issue?

Indeed, that's why my sound system has a set-up screen for adjusting the delay to match the picture.

But how can you speed up the sound system when the issue is coming from the cable box itself?

When I go from the cable box, to the, TV then to the receiver it's fine (that is also on HDMI from the cable to the tv, then optical form tv to the receiver), when I go from the cable box (using the optical) to the receiver that is where I get the delay.

Either your problem is at the source, or you've got a delay being introduced at your sound system, which you can just throttle back. The cable box generally doesn't introduce any delay.

I just got the DCT 3416 yesterday. Should I program the "All On/OFF" botton on the remote to turn the DVR off every time I turn the TV off, or do I just leave it on all the time. I'm getting confliting advice on this.

Leave it on all the time.

In theory I have to disagree with this. If the DVR power is off, it's not recording the current channel for the rewind buffer. This would keep the hard drive writing down and should keep the entire DVR running cooler.

I recently started powering off my DVRs when they aren't in use. What's the benefit of leaving it on?

What's the benefit of leaving it on?They work more reliably.

Either your problem is at the source, or you've got a delay being introduced at your sound system, which you can just throttle back. The cable box generally doesn't introduce any delay.

When I power on, the current channel has noticeable audio delay. This is corrected by pausing the current channel and then pressing LIVE. Changing from an SD channel to another SD channel (or from an HD channel to another HD channel) also corrects the audio delay.

Changing from SD channel to an HD channel (or visa versa) re-introduces the audio delay.

I run HDMI from the 3416 to a Samsung HT-85 and then HDMI to the display. This audio delay seemed to appear with the 16.20 firmware.

Last night the 3416 froze and after cold booting a couple of times, it has still not downloaded the guide. (The clock is still stuck at 12:00, all DVR and on-demand functions are dead). Hopefully, when the tech shows up tomorrow with the new box, it will be better than this one that I have had for the passed six months.

Based on the last 3 Moto DVR boxes I've had, they all seem to die after 6 to 8 months.

I could use some guidance and moral support, if you don't mind. My Moxi went dead after a power outage that we had out here in
Channel Islands Harbor- Oxnard on Monday night.
So anyway, TWC came out today and switched out the MOXI box with a 3416 I Motorola DVR

I pay for all the channels and everyone one of them but the HD ones look awful. They are grainy or mirror like with graininess , or have artifacts. Some channels look glassy and grainy at the same time. Also the people on all my channels (HD excluded) were short wide and squatty.

My TV is the Mitsubishi WS=65313. (65in wide screen) It looks like I fixed the squatty wide people because I pulled out the cords on the back of my TV that were in the composite holes and put the cord in the DVI holes. That helped.

But what is up with the picture on all standard channels? Is anyone else having this problem? And can you help me or direct me to some help? I am sick about this. Why am I paying for all these channels if they are going to look like this? The DVR was just switched out today and I am already disillusioned. This can not be normal. I can not believe that everyone has been watching their tv's like this and putting up with it. If I had the cash I would buy the HD TiVo, in a sec. Anyone have any ideas on what I can do? I would so appreciate any help or feedback you may have.

Thanks in advance

I currently have had the comcast motorola dct3416. Recently In the evenings some of my channels get a bunch of static ( looks like jumbled bars). I called comcast and they told me to unplug my box for 30 sec and plug it back in. They also "repushed" the signal at the same time. All 14 of the programs I had recorded onto my dvr got erased when I plugged it back in. It should save programs to the harddrive like my tivo did and still save programs when the power goes out, correct? just not the buffer. Well comcast agreed with me but couldn't explain how my programs got erased. They say I could have bandwith issue. (sounds logical to me) My channels are crystal clear in the mornings, but not in the evening. Has anyone else ever run into these problems? Should I also request a new box? I use a HDMI connection with a sony kds60a2020 rear projection. Also have tried components but still have the same picture issues. I haven't had any problems for the first 2 weeks I had this setup. Just now. I would hate to spend $800 on a series 3 Tivo. But I never had any issues like this with my series 2 Tivo.

I have a question I think might be related to this. I've had my box for a few weeks, since the beginning of may, and I had set to record a bunch of shows. I went to watch them, and there's no picture or sound being played. When i go to "My Recordings", everything is listed, but nothing will play. I try to fastforward, rewind, nothing works. I've noticed everyone else posting their setups, mine is a moto dct-3416 cable box going to a hannspree 32 xv via HDMI. the rest of the features of the box work perfectly, it's just the dvr part that doesn't work so well.

Does anybody else experience a LOT of audio dropouts with the moto 3416? I usually just hit the quick rewind button or power on/off and it comes back, but at one point the audio dropped out 5 times within 5 minutes. Any suggestions?

Brandon

The only time I experience sound drop-outs is when I rewind after fast-forwarding.

I have a DCT3416 that beeps very randomly while turned on. It can beep twice in a minute and then not beep again for another 2 hours... or it will beep every ~10 minutes for 30-40 minutes. Like I said, very random.

It probably means something is wrong with it, but is there anything I can do with it short of getting an exchange? (BTW, this is a Comcast box)

techfuzz

I just picked up my 3416 yesterday, I upgraded from the digital starter package to the digital preferred package to get the extra HD channels. Setup was easy, called Comcast to activate and now all I'm getting are the basic cable channels (2-22), the unencrypted QAM channels and the music channels. This is the exact same thing that happened when I switched from analog to the digital starter package. I called Comcast again and they reset the box again and they are able to "see" it. A tech is not able to come for 5 days, does anyone have any ideas? The last time this happened the visiting tech fixed it in 2 minutes

I noticed an issue when trying to hook up hdmi to my mitsubishi WD-57831 i was getting a blue screen as if i was getting no input from the cable box. I had also an optical audio cable plugging in with it connected into nothing at that moment. I ended up unplugging the optical audio cable and ending up getting a video signal go figure.

when i access menu, i get user settings status. however, when i go to that sub menu, the left and right arrow keys just take me from the sub menu to the main menu. the up and down keys do not work. result: all i can do is look in frustration at the setting, which are incorrect. i am unable to change them.
the motorola users manual says the up/down and left/right keys allow changes to the settings. (i have a 2nd motrola hd box w/out dvr. it has the same menu features and same problem.)
called comcast 3 times and went through 4 people who knew nothing and then they cut me off.
read that with connection via hdmi, hitting restore default settings should allow tv to communicate with cable box to accurately set everything. (don't know if this is true.) however, the restore default settings options does not even appear in the menu as shown in the users manual. is there such a menu option? does it work with hdmi as described?
thanks!
p.s. called for comcast tech to come out but know from experience that that is a crap shoot. all depends on the tech. each one seems to have different info and attempts different "fixes".

It should be noted that the CSRs are not supposed to help customers mess with the settings screens. They're supposed to refer the issue to a tech, who typically will adjust these settings on-site.

fyi -did speak to 3 different techs after csr transferred my calls to that dept. was then cut off.
sent an email to comcast to request tech appt.

There you go. With the tech on-site, your issue should be resolved. That's all you need to do next time. :up:

Has anybody experienced an issue with their DVR no longer functioning? I have the Motorola 3416 and this morning I could no longer watch any recorded programs. I can still watch cable, but when I select the recorded program to watch the tv screen just goes blank and the status bar indicates it's just stuck at 0:00 minutes out of 30:00.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Brandon

I have had two DCT3416-I DVRs from Comcast that both have on random occasion refused to display a two hour recording after approx 27 minutes. It seems to only happen on important recordings like tonight (The AllStar Game) and on some OnDemand movies. I can see the full green duration bar showing I have a successful 2:01 (two hour and one minute) recording but I cannot get past a "black hole" at approx 27 minutes in. The screen goes black. Any buttons pressed yield a call Comcast and report a NPLY (no play???) error. The only way I can get control back short of a full reboot is to go to my Guide and change to a live channel (trying to view another recording only continues the NPLY error.) After this "tricK" I could View from beginning and see the first 27 minutes of the game again and exactly at the same point Wham! (same black screen and NPLY issue). I took the unit into Comcast and got another one and the very same issue. Any ideas. I hear there is a new DVR model that should be released any day now. Does anyone have the new one yet?

That's happened to me twice over the last year.

I've found no explanation for the gaff. There is no reason to believe that the new boxes (the DCH series) will not exhibit it as well, since as far as we know, the cause was never determined, and therefore not fixed in the design of the DCH.

I just got the new model Comcast DVR. So far so good. Software is identical. Box is better looking. Performance is similar. Same remote.

We were unable to get On Demand and tried swapping boxes. It didn't help, but we got the new box anyway. The On Demand problem was that it only worked once in a great while. The coax line tested fine with no noise and plenty of signal. The solution was to run a new coax line with a better grade of coax.

Curtis

Has anybody experienced an issue with their DVR no longer functioning? I have the Motorola 3416 and this morning I could no longer watch any recorded programs. I can still watch cable, but when I select the recorded program to watch the tv screen just goes blank and the status bar indicates it's just stuck at 0:00 minutes out of 30:00.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Brandon

I had that happen to me about a week ago. It wouldn't even let me play a program I had just finished recording, although it seemed like scheduled recordings were being saved fine.

I wanted to try the complete reset of the box and wipe the disk, as has been mentioned in the 64xx series Wiki, but it wouldn't work on my 3416. Probably a good thing, as I just did the unplug-replug thing and after the program guide got rebuilt all the recorded programs were still there and played back fine.

I was having some poor quality signal, and maybe that was getting the machine into some jammed-up state. I replaced some splitters and low-quality cable to boost the signal level, and it's been working more smoothly since.

Cheap splitters or even couplings can cause problems, especially with On Demand. Comcast is using a high grade of coax now that may exceed the abilities of the coax originally installed in your house. They are pretty generous with coax, fittings, cables and even HDMI cable if you need it.

Curtis

Does anybody here watch Pardon The Interruption on ESPN? For two days straight now I've had some horrible artifacting appear on ESPN and only ESPN (not even ESPN2) when PTI starts. It's not just some simple macroblocking, it's like an entire screen of artifacts that manifest themselves as big squares on screen so that you can barely make out faces and nothing on screen is legible.

This also happened just two days after my 3416 DVR suddenly powered off and then on again on it's own, and when it powered back on I just happened to notice that the ENTIRE hard drive was wiped clean.

Anybody else experienced these types of things recently or in the past?

Brandon

i have the same comcast box. there's a series on there that i dont want to loose and i was wondering how i would get it off of the hard drive?

i have it networked in using the ethernet port but i cannot seem to get into it so i can pull the shows off? any ideas?

When I need to store timeshifted programming, I use my laptop's tuner connected to the S-video output of the box. I play the program just as I'm going to bed, and the next morning I've got a downconverted copy of the program on my laptop hard drive.

I live in Chicago. I have a BRAND NEW Samsung 46″ LCD (4661F). I also have a BRAND NEW Samsung Home Theater System (HT-TXQ120).

I had Comcast install an HD-DVR box. I receive a green screen when I try to use my Home Theater system in conjunction with using the cable box.

Glad that I found this site, to ensure that its not my Home Theater System or the way I connected it that is the problem.

My firmware is 16.20 and it did not work. Comcast then installed a box with Firmware 18.21 and I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. The box is Motorola DCH3416.

I have Comcast cable and just installed a Motorola DCT3416 I. I noticed on the Motorola web sight that they say that an external SATA drive connected to the SATA port on the 3416 will allow more storage capacity. Does anyone know if this is available on the Comcast unit, or have they disabled this feature? I don't want to buy a drive just to try it out.

I live in Chicago. I have a BRAND NEW Samsung 46″ LCD (4661F). I also have a BRAND NEW Samsung Home Theater System (HT-TXQ120).

I had Comcast install an HD-DVR box. I receive a green screen when I try to use my Home Theater system in conjunction with using the cable box.

Glad that I found this site, to ensure that its not my Home Theater System or the way I connected it that is the problem.

My firmware is 16.20 and it did not work. Comcast then installed a box with Firmware 18.21 and I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. The box is Motorola DCH3416.

You may want to look into the Samsung xx61 forums for input on this issue. At the very least you'll want to check the build date on your Samsung because there is a well-known HDMI handshake issue with early production models of the 61/65 series. It can be corrected, so finding out if that is your problem would be a good first step.

Brandon

I just got the Comcast DCT3416-I DVR Box on Friday and tried to connect to my Phillips 42" Plasma with the HDMI cable. I am not getting a picture or audio through the connction. Also when I do try to go throught the HDMI, the diplay in the front of the box goes from 1080i to 480p.

The HDMI connection worked on my last box/DVR.

Is this a box issue or something else. Thanks in advance.

Does anybody know if this box is the default STB given to all new subscribers? My buddy has an HDTV and it seems like if you want HDTV you have to specify it and pay an additional $6.95 charge per month. However, when I signed up for my cable service they sent me the 3416 STB by default without me specifying it (I wanted a CableCard), which means I'm just paying the regular price for a general STB.

Brandon

Has anyone ever successfully gotten their dch3416 green screen problem fixed ?

I have a DCT3416 that beeps very randomly while turned on. It can beep twice in a minute and then not beep again for another 2 hours... or it will beep every ~10 minutes for 30-40 minutes. Like I said, very random.

It probably means something is wrong with it, but is there anything I can do with it short of getting an exchange? (BTW, this is a Comcast box)

techfuzz


My DCT3416 also beeps. Did you or anyone figure out how to turn the beeping off? or did you get an exchange?

Is anybody else having a problem with their 3416 randomly shutting off and having to redownload programming info (it seems like it's resetting itself)?

It used to happen maybe once a month, but now it's happened 3 times in 2 days. Anybody know the deal?

Brandon

I have had this unit from comcast for 18 months, or actually different units ,of this model. The first lasted a year, and then problems started. 6 mos ago I got a HDTV and tried to get HDMI connection to work. Never did but in the process they sent out a new box and now I have had 4 different boxes. The more they try to fix things, the worst things get.

So becareful what you do. The comcast tecs don't understand the unit and the quality of the units is getting worse. Actually I would guess it is the software upgrades cause problems.

As you can guess I have lost faith in improving the situation. I don't plan to use any service from comcast that requires a stb, only the qam channels, ofered unencripted. If you want a pvr build a HTPC or go to tivo. I have been configuring my HTPC for 3 months, now and TIVO is starting to look cheap.

Bob

Is anybody else having a problem with their 3416 randomly shutting off and having to redownload programming info (it seems like it's resetting itself)?I had a problem like that a couple of years ago. It was due to an underpowered UPC, so I suspect any bad power profile will cause this. It could be something affecting your whole house, actually. The 3416 acts like a canary in a coal mine, since it is very sensitive to power fluctuation and when it resets it is very noticeable.

I had a problem like that a couple of years ago. It was due to an underpowered UPC, so I suspect any bad power profile will cause this. It could be something affecting your whole house, actually. The 3416 acts like a canary in a coal mine, since it is very sensitive to power fluctuation and when it resets it is very noticeable.

To your knowledge, would a power conditioner help alleviate this mess if that is what's causing the trouble?

Brandon

Sorry, but I don't know.

My previous DVR box from Motorola had a patch on line to convert one button to skip 30 seconds each time pushed.

I have not found that work around for this one yet.

Any hints?

Add 30-Second Skip

The following technique can be used to map an unused or unneeded button on the "silver" remote to the 30-second skip command. Current versions of the i-Guide software will skip forward 30 seconds into a recording when this command is sent. A good choice is the 'A / Lock' button since many users don't need that function; you can feel both the '15-second-back' and '30-second-skip' buttons with one finger and move between them without looking. Another option is to reprogram the '15-second back' button, since PgDn already provides that functionality.

1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The
"Cable" button will blink twice if successful.

Note: This does not work on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State). As of firmware version 12.22 Insight Cable disabled this feature, but has been re-enabled in firmware version 16.35. Comcast software Version 73.44 disabled this feature, but the latest software, Version 74.53-3321, re-enables it (this has been confirmed on the 3416 w/ 16.20 firmware).

I too had the problem where recorded programs wouldnt play. I had the player in an enclosed area, and I noticed it was fairly warm. I removed it from the cabinet, and now the recorded programs will play. of course, it could just be the unplugging of the unit that solved the problem.

Cant even begin to explain my frustration. HDMI is such crap - no one seems to be able to get it right. SO anyway, here is my problem, maybe someone can assist

firmware v. 16.38

When hooked up directly to my Tv, no isssues.
When run through my reciever, I get picture and audio for about 3 or 4 seconds, then the picture goes black.

My computer is setup the same way - HDMI to the receiver and then receiver to TV over HDMI. No issues there.

None of this makes any sense since 1) i know my reciever can talk to my tv because the computer feed over HDMI works. and 2) I know the set top box and tv can talk, because when I hook them up directly there is no problem.

some how the receiver in the middle introduces a whole set of issues????

anyone have any ideas? I'm using 1.3HDMI certified cables and have tried a few different lenghts from 1.5ft to 6ft. no changes.

I'm using RCN. Anyone know if they have any other STBs that work better?

I'm having similar HDCP issues with the DCH3416 unit.. i've been through 2 .. so far no luck.. i have to hit guide to eliminate a green screen every now and then.. sometimes this doesnt work and i have to pull the plug (very aggrivating)..

I have had the "green screen" problem also. Using HDMI cables. I only have the problem when I try to watch recorded material. I have found that if I change to the recorded show from an HD channel the green screen pops up most of the time. If I press the menu button it goes away and I can watch the recording. If I go from a std. channel to the recorded show it does not have the green screen problem.

Comcast recently swapped out my old DCT-3416 for the newer version with the rectangular data panel. Does anyone know exactly where the IR sensor is located? I am trying to place the button for my MX3000 system over the sensor, but can't see it.

a friend gave me a motorola dct3416 dvr, i have tried to set it up but it hasn't work. I am already a hd comcast cable subscriber, and i'm paying rent on a comcast hd dvr. I guess my question is can i install the second dvr or does comcast has to send some type of signal for the box to work? and if the box can be program or setup what do I need to do ? Help is greatly appreciated.

Comcast will generally not activate privately-owned DVRs. Instead, as per law, they offer CableCards. Unfortunately, the Motorola DCT-series does not support CableCards. (That's probably why your "friend" was so willing to "give" you one... it is basically a doorstop in the United States.)

The best use for it, assuming it isn't actually stolen, is to sell it on eBay.ca, since generally only folks in Canada can get any productive use out of the box.

Green screen issues…

Pioneer Elite Pro-150 60” Plasma
Harman Kardon AVR 347
Motorola DCH 3416 DVR
LG HDMI DVD
Harmony 1000 Remote

After trying to tweak this setup for 3 days, speaking with the HK guys and the Cox techs (who were all refreshingly somewhat knowledgeable) that came to my house, we all agree on ONE thing…it is the DCH 3416 cable box. And at this point there isn’t much they seem to be able to do. After upgrading my one year old HK receiver to have the ability to run HDMI as a constant with out changing inputs…looks like the cable box will once again be HDMI straight to the TV and I’ll hit the HK receiver with the optical connection for digital sound. It appears that the most current firmware available to fix the “repeater issues” has not been able to workout all the issues, hence why turning the units on and off will handshake the signal. If someone has been successful running a dch 3416 HD box through an AVR and had no issues switching from HD channels back to standard cable what firmware is installed on your box and more importantly how is the picture quality?

One solution is the Harmony Remote…at least it will turn all my components on/off and input switching with a single push of a button. But that still doesn’t make me feel better about the repeater issues and NOT having the ability to run HDMI through one receiver.

Hi-

My question is related to the DCT3416 HD/DVR box from Comcast. I currently run HDMI directly to Plasma, which works perfectly. I am planning to go with the Bose 321 system (i know, i know....but for this room it's what I want), and want to find out the best way to utilize this.

Can I keep the HDMI to TV, being able to get high quality video, plus audio for watching normal TV, without wanting the surround sound turned on

AND

utilize the digital optical output from the cable box directly into the Bose optical input, to get the digital signal to those speakers for watching big games/movies on Comcast?

I'm afraid it's either one digital output or the other (HDMI or optical).

Thanks!

I've had my DCT-3416 hooked up to the television via HDMI and hooked up to my sound system via optical digital. It worked... most of the time. Some of the time, though, when FF or REW, the optical digital would loose the handshake and go silent. I'd typically have to cycle the sound system to get sound back. However, this had nothing to do with the HDMI being connected; the same problem would happen when I had my DCT-3416 hooked up to the television via component cables. It's just an intermittent incompatibility between the DCT-3416 and my sound system.

Add 30-Second Skip

The following technique can be used to map an unused or unneeded button on the "silver" remote to the 30-second skip command. Current versions of the i-Guide software will skip forward 30 seconds into a recording when this command is sent. A good choice is the 'A / Lock' button since many users don't need that function; you can feel both the '15-second-back' and '30-second-skip' buttons with one finger and move between them without looking. Another option is to reprogram the '15-second back' button, since PgDn already provides that functionality.

1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The
"Cable" button will blink twice if successful.

Note: This does not work on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State). As of firmware version 12.22 Insight Cable disabled this feature, but has been re-enabled in firmware version 16.35. Comcast software Version 73.44 disabled this feature, but the latest software, Version 74.53-3321, re-enables it (this has been confirmed on the 3416 w/ 16.20 firmware).
sorry if this is the wrong thread, but I just swapped my recently deceased Moxi for a DCH3416 at Time Warner LA.

The 30 second skip trick outlined in this Comcast trick worked just fine.

I am happy TW gave me the Motorola rather than the SA8300, but I think the Moxi on-screen nav is superior.

joe

Green screen issues…

Pioneer Elite Pro-150 60” Plasma
Harman Kardon AVR 347
Motorola DCH 3416 DVR
LG HDMI DVD
Harmony 1000 Remote

After trying to tweak this setup for 3 days, speaking with the HK guys and the Cox techs (who were all refreshingly somewhat knowledgeable) that came to my house, we all agree on ONE thing…it is the DCH 3416 cable box. And at this point there isn’t much they seem to be able to do. After upgrading my one year old HK receiver to have the ability to run HDMI as a constant with out changing inputs…looks like the cable box will once again be HDMI straight to the TV and I’ll hit the HK receiver with the optical connection for digital sound. It appears that the most current firmware available to fix the “repeater issues” has not been able to workout all the issues, hence why turning the units on and off will handshake the signal. If someone has been successful running a dch 3416 HD box through an AVR and had no issues switching from HD channels back to standard cable what firmware is installed on your box and more importantly how is the picture quality?

One solution is the Harmony Remote…at least it will turn all my components on/off and input switching with a single push of a button. But that still doesn’t make me feel better about the repeater issues and NOT having the ability to run HDMI through one receiver.




I, too, have been getting green screen when I flip HD channels too fast using HDMI. In my case, it seems to be an issue that only manifests itself via HDMI. I was using component cables for over a year before freeing up my sole HDMI input recently to which I had zero problems. It's frustrating that I have to switch to a different tv input, for example, "DVD (or video2, on my tv)," and then back to my cable box input. Annoying but it is a temporary fix.

Just got my DCH 3416 today, hooked up to a Panny 32 LX-70 LCD, great picture not green at all.

Add 30-Second Skip

The following technique can be used to map an unused or unneeded button on the "silver" remote to the 30-second skip command. Current versions of the i-Guide software will skip forward 30 seconds into a recording when this command is sent. A good choice is the 'A / Lock' button since many users don't need that function; you can feel both the '15-second-back' and '30-second-skip' buttons with one finger and move between them without looking. Another option is to reprogram the '15-second back' button, since PgDn already provides that functionality.

1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The
"Cable" button will blink twice if successful.

Note: This does not work on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State). As of firmware version 12.22 Insight Cable disabled this feature, but has been re-enabled in firmware version 16.35. Comcast software Version 73.44 disabled this feature, but the latest software, Version 74.53-3321, re-enables it (this has been confirmed on the 3416 w/ 16.20 firmware).
Nice! Just worked on my 3412!

Green screen issues ...

I have a Sony 50" Wega KDS-R50XBR1 TV with HDMI connection to Motorola PVR through Cox. Until 1/7/08, I only had the Green screen issue when turning on the TV and cycling through the inputs would "fix it" on my DCT6412 III. On that day, Cox evidently downloaded a firmware upgrade and since then the Green screen came on 3-4 seconds after normal pay. I swapped out the 6412 for a DCT3416 I but the problem remains. Firmware version is 16.36.

Does anyone have a DCT3416 I running firmware 16.36 working with a Sony KDS-R50XBR1 with HDMI? Thanks

I am having a problem getting sound out from the DCT3416 to my Denon 3801 AV receiver. I have the DCT hooked to my Sony LCD TV via component cables. The sound is hooked to the TV via RCA cables. I disconnected the sound cables to the TV and tried hooking the DCT3416 directly to the AV receiver using the RCA cables first, then tried optical but neither works. I get no sound. Any clues as to what I may be doing wrong?

Hello Im new here i have quick question maybe someone can help me. I have a Motorola DCT3416 I dvr HD box from comcast my question is does this box do 1080P? i ask the people at comcast and they don't know.

Ive looked through the settings and can't find it. Is there a newer model that does 1080p? hopefully someone can help me.

I can only reach 1080i but i want 1080p because i have a tv that does 1080p and i feel like i got that tv for nothing now.

If the native resolution of your TV is 1080p, then it will deinterlace 1080i from the Moto.

If the native resolution of your TV is 1080p, then it will deinterlace 1080i from the Moto.

ill have to look into that Deinterlace means what exactly?

Google deinterlace

Hello Im new here i have quick question maybe someone can help me. I have a Motorola DCT3416 I dvr HD box from comcast my question is does this box do 1080P? i ask the people at comcast and they don't know.

Ive looked through the settings and can't find it. Is there a newer model that does 1080p? hopefully someone can help me.

I can only reach 1080i but i want 1080p because i have a tv that does 1080p and i feel like i got that tv for nothing now.

Getting a box with 1080p output (which doesn't exist, as far as I know) won't do anything anyway. The TV shows you're going to watch aren't 1080p, so it's just the difference of your set top box doing the deinterlacing vs your TV. Chances are your TV would do a better job anyway.

If you want 1080p content try blu-ray.

Brandon

I got a DCT3416-I from Comcast last week. So far it has recorded nothing. It locks up when I try to record. It locks up when I try to watch TV. Today it locked up when I turned it on. Last night it said that it recorded two shows. They were there in my "Recorded Shows" folder. I went to watch one of them and the unit froze. When I say "Freeze" I mean the unit it locked up, remote commands do not work and pressing the buttons on the front don't help, and letting it sit for 10 minutes changes nothing, so the only way to reset it is to unplug it. Anyway, I unplugged it, reset it and waited for my DVR menu to repopulate. Then it told me that there were "No Recorded Shows" (even though I had seen the three there that it had supposedly recorded earlier in the evening. Anyway, just really frustrated at this point. Going to get a new unit this afternoon, hopefully it helps. And yes, there is enough airflow to the unit.

I wish Tivo worked with On-Demand because I do like that service.

For the past several months I have been experiencing tiling, audio dropouts,and black screens. I am up in the Boston area with the Motorola DCT3416. I'm running a Sharp Aquos 42d43u over hdmi for monoprice. It seems as if something is wrong with the signal coming into the house. My building has 8 apartments although not everyone is using comcast I'm sure every apartment has a wire leading into the house for previous/future residents.

What the heck is causing this? I have called Comcast twice. The first call they sent a "refresh signal" and had me unplug the box for a minute. The second time they sent a guy out. He was really friendly but he blamed it on a loose connection in the house. He left a week ago and the problem has been getting progressively worse.

Any suggestions?

Does anyone know if the USB port provides power while the box is turned off?
I want to use it to power an IR receiver, so it would need to supply power to that, even when the STB/DVR is powered off.

OK I have hit my head on the wall long enough. I just got a 3416 that replaced my old HD set top box but it will not show anything. It is hooked up OK, as when I turn the TV on it says program will be available shortly. I let it set over night and all day today and it still says the same thing. I hooked up my old box and and even though the guide said TBA on it I still had a picture for the channel I was on. Any clue what is going on?
Thanks

TC

OK I have hit my head on the wall long enough. I just got a 3416 that replaced my old HD set top box but it will not show anything. It is hooked up OK, as when I turn the TV on it says program will be available shortly. I let it set over night and all day today and it still says the same thing. I hooked up my old box and and even though the guide said TBA on it I still had a picture for the channel I was on. Any clue what is going on?
Thanks

TC

You need to call Comcast & activate the box. Make sure it is plugged in and turned on, connected to the cable first. Then call & they will send an activation signal down the cable to your box.

That should fix it.

I'm on Comcast in the Detroit area - I"ve noticed that on the local NBC channel, HD, there is always a gray bar at the top of the screen. It's much smaller than a letter box bar, looks like the image is just nudged down a bit.

Of all the HD channels, it only occurs on this one. I'm guessing it's more of a problem with the feed rather than the box, but has anyone seen this at any time?

I'm on Comcast in the Detroit area - I"ve noticed that on the local NBC channel, HD, there is always a gray bar at the top of the screen. It's much smaller than a letter box bar, looks like the image is just nudged down a bit.

Of all the HD channels, it only occurs on this one. I'm guessing it's more of a problem with the feed rather than the box, but has anyone seen this at any time?

Are you using any type of display with 1:1 pixel mapping or "full pixel" mode?

Brandon

anyone ever connect the box to their lan? or get any use out of that port?


Also

Did anyone ever get to watch a live stream with vista ? how?

Thanks

I have a COMCAST DCT3416-I and am simply trying to connect my computer to my tv. I can't directly connect right now, but the dct3416-i have an s-video input. I've connected my computer to that (and some spare y-audio inputs) and visa recognizes the new monitor and has successfully expanded to it (my mouse goes off the page). HOW DO I ACTUALLY SWITCH TO THE CHANNEL ON THE BOX THAT THIS INFO SHOWS UP??? Seems like a dumb question but this is driving me crazy!!!

My setup is as follows
Motrolla DCT3416 Cable Box
Denon 2309Ci
Samsung 58" Plasma

I just got the 2309 a few days ago and am having an issue with my motorola DCT 3416 cable box losing HDMI settings when I turn the system off/on.


Set 480 override setting on the STB to stretch.
Turn off the system (TV, receiver, STB)
Turn on the system.
The 480 override setting is back to the default (none, which means it outputs 1080i with sidebars.


I didnt have this issue when running HDMI directly to my TV, but using my receiver in the middle causes it. (running HDMI from the STB to the receiver, and the receiver to the TV).

Is this an issue with the Denon reciever? Should I return it and get Onkyo or Pioneer instead?

Thanks,

Eric Wellnitz

I didn't have this issue when running HDMI directly to my TV, but using my receiver in the middle causes it. (running HDMI from the STB to the receiver, and the receiver to the TV).
This is a common problem with HDMI handshaking, especially between Denon (I have an 889 which is almost the same as the 2309) and Sony TVs. I guess you have it as well with your sammy. One solution is to run component to the TV instead of HDMI. It is a pain in the you know what.

what's an "STB" ??

Set top box, aka the dvr box.

Brandon

I have a hdmi cable going to the tv and an optical cord going in my receiver and the over all volume is very low compared to my ps3, why is my volume so low? Is it because the audio is being split between the hdmi and optical?

I have a hdmi cable going to the tv and an optical cord going in my receiver and the over all volume is very low compared to my ps3, why is my volume so low? Is it because the audio is being split between the hdmi and optical?

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but everyone always says to use the search button before repeating a question already asked. :)
I'm having the same problem as above, and I'm completely lost on what the problem is.

I have:
Motorola DCT3416 cable box
Mitsubishi WD-57734 tv
Denon AVR-486 receiver
PS3
Wii

Can anyone help me out with this, please?

hello:

Anyone know what the current firmware upgrade from Motorola is, for the 3416 unit? in fact, how do I find out what version I have now?
does the cable company update it from their end or do I have to connect it to the internet and do something to update it?

Got this cable box/PVR from my cable company in January 2009 and so far it's worked perfectly. I record & erase lots of programs. I'm normally running 95% capacity on the PVR.

Because it's always full, I wonder if there's a way to dump some of the recordings to another PVR or DVD recorder.

Is anyone doing this?

Thanks.

Rick

I have a DCT 3416-I hooked up via HDMI to a Sony KDL32XBR9 and intermittently when I switch between hd and std channels I get a popping sound on the audio. I also tried a DCH 3416 and it does the same thing. Has anyone experienced this or heard of this. Thanks in advance

Currently have a Comcast Motorola DCT6412 DVR hooked up to my Samsung LCD via component cables. Figured I would switch to HDMI and tried it out. Seems like there is some sort of lag between switching channels with the HDMI that is not there when using component. Anybody have any idea as to what this could be? Thanks

Currently have a Comcast Motorola DCT6412 DVR hooked up to my Samsung LCD via component cables. Figured I would switch to HDMI and tried it out. Seems like there is some sort of lag between switching channels with the HDMI that is not there when using component. Anybody have any idea as to what this could be? Thanks

Try and pay attention to exactly when this is happening. Does it happen every time? Does it only happen when switching from HD to SD channels? Vice versa? Does it happen when switching from an SD to another SD channel?

It's possible you have the 480i override on, which causes a delay when switching from an HD channel to an SD channel. Or maybe it's off which is causing some scaling to occur, not sure.

Brandon